Police spokeswoman Cyndi Barrington said the child was with his father outside a home on the city’s north side. Barrington said the father reported hearing a bang and then noticing his son had been hit.

Paramedics rushed the boy to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition.

On Friday morning, police updated the case, saying the story they were originally given was not the truth. They determined that the child had actually been shot by the child’s uncle. The gun discharged accidentally while he was playing with it inside the residence, Barrington said.

The uncle, a 17-year-old, fled the scene. Police are currently trying to locate him.

“This is truly a tragic incident,” Commander Catherine Johnson said. “And our thoughts and prayers are with the child and his entire family.”

Johnson declined to comment on the type of weapon that was used, but did they have not yet found it.

The public is not at risk, Barrington added.

The owner of the duplex, where the incident took place, said the individuals involved aren’t even her tenants.

Katie Phillips said she doesn’t know the father of the child, or the uncle with the gun.

“No guns are allowed in my house,” she said. “This is the main reason — accidents happen, which were preventable.”

Just two weeks ago, a 14-month-old was shot and also a 19-year-old woman who was pregnant. That incident happened just a few blocks from this most recent shooting.